Your Essential Guide to British Craft Beer

It sounds ridiculous to say—after all, England has thousands of years of brewing history, and stalwart labels like Fuller’s and Timothy Taylor are still producing some of the world’s most well-respected ales. But modernity hasn’t been entirely kind to the birthplace of bitters and imperial pints.

The problems started at home: The historic rise of tied houses (brewer-owned pubs that primarily serve their own beer), as well as the more recent trend toward corporate pub chains, contributed to a tightly controlled beer culture with little room for innovation. This situation, in turn, gave way to a broader image problem: As madcap American brewing made a name for itself across the pond, the Brits began to look like stick-in-the-mud traditionalists grumbling about the good old days.

But then something amazing happened: The beer scene in England went flat-out gangbusters. The number of breweries in London has tripled in the last six years, and there’s a similar boom in new upstarts—and new styles—happening around the Isles. And while stateside trailblazers have clearly been a major influence, this is no copycat revolution.

Here, we survey the scene and give you the tools you need to experience the best of new-school British brewing.

British beer is back.
It sounds ridiculous to say—after all, England has thousands of years of brewing history, and stalwart labels like Fuller’s and Timothy Taylor are still producing some of the world’s most well-respected ales. But modernity hasn’t been entirely kind to the birthplace of bitters and imperial pints.
The problems started at home: The historic rise of tied houses (brewer-owned pubs that primarily serve their own beer), as well as the more recent trend toward corporate pub chains, contributed to a tightly controlled beer culture with little room for innovation. This situation, in turn, gave way to a broader image problem: As madcap American brewing made a name for itself across the pond, the Brits began to look like stick-in-the-mud traditionalists grumbling about the good old days.
But then something amazing happened: The beer scene in England went flat-out gangbusters. The number of breweries in London has tripled in the last six years, and there’s a similar boom in new upstarts—and new styles—happening around the Isles. And while stateside trailblazers have clearly been a major influence, this is no copycat revolution.
Here, we survey the scene and give you the tools you need to experience the best of new-school British brewing.
Written by Chris Schonberger (@cschonberger)

“Real Ale” Reigns Supreme...

You can’t navigate the British beer scene without getting familiar with Campaign for Real Ale, better known as CAMRA. Since 1971, the organization has been instrumental in advocating traditional British beer culture, via the conservation of historic pubs and an emphasis on cask-conditioned ales over generic lagers. While some new-wave beer bars serve kegged beers from foreign craft brewers, the domestic stuff is almost always served on cask from traditional handpumps. Instead of marking yourself as a newb by complaining about the beer being “flat” or “too warm,” instead focus on the complex flavors that can be masked by cold temperatures and heavy carbonation.

…but it’s not the only show in town

The efforts of CAMRA are a double-edged sword in the craft movement. While they highlight and preserve Britain’s unique brewing history, they are also limiting: Instead of running wild, producers are pressured to focus on certain styles—particularly lower alcohol ones—that work best in casks. Some upstarts have rebelled against CAMRA’s efforts, often to exciting effect. The most incendiary of the bunch is Scotland’s Brew Dog, which balances its roguish antics (like brewing the world’s strongest beer) with top-notch creations such as Punk IPA, the platonic ideal between a malty English pale ale and a hoppy American IPA. Others to look out for include Thornbridge, Porterhouse (Ireland), and Dark Star. Since kegs and bottles travel much better than casks, these outfits are the easiest to find as exports in the States.

Gentleman drink half pints

My granddad drank half pints when his hands became too shaky to hold full ones, and he looked exceedingly dapper when he did so. Half pints don’t mark you as a sissy so much as a man of moderation and honor. There are times when even the more youthful among us can make use of the half pint, too: at halftime of a football match when time is of the essence, for example, or when you want to sample a lot of beers at a bar without breaking the bank (or your bladder). Half pints are served almost everywhere, a fine and respectable tradition that I wish more American beer bars would adopt.

Cider is as exciting as beer

In lockstep with the rising interest in craft beer is a surge in artisanal producers of traditional ciders and perries (pear ciders). The best of them are nothing like the saccarine, bubbly stuff sold in liter jugs at the local Tesco. They range from dry and tart to fruity and sweet, and for reasons that I can’t fully explain, they give you a completely different buzz than beer—three pints of the Old Rascal at the Green Man cider pub in Marleybone, and suddenly the world becomes a rosy place indeed.

The London pub is an institution in flux

Despite the efforts of CAMRA, traditional pubs are in dire straights. British tabloids run constant statistics about pub closures across the country, with everything from taxes to generational differences being blamed for their decline. Many historic pubs have been taken over by chains that do nonsensical things like rip out an authentic Tudor-era interior to put in a faux Victorian one. But the growing interest in craft brewing is pushing back against this trend, giving rise to a new-school freehouses that might feature two dozen rotating beers, usually split between casked domestics and kegged imports. Some of my favorite spots include CASK Pub & Kitchen, Draft House, and Rake.

The porter is the ultimate London beer

For a long time in London, it was unlikely that you'd find a porter by wandering into a pub. Aside from a few notable exceptions (like the heavily exported Samuel Smith Taddy Porter and Harviestoun Old Engine Oil), the style has been all but drowned out by the fashion for golden ales, not to mention the rise of big-money lagers. In fact, the history of its decline dates all the way back to WWI, when restrictions on roasted malts crippled breweries focused solely on porters. But during the 18th and 19th centuries, porters were ubiquitous in London—the beer of the people and incredibly profitable for some of the city’s burgeoning brewers. While Americans have co-opted the porter tradition and pushed it in all sorts of crazy directions (smoked porters, maple porters, cherry porters…), many of today’s English brewers are hewing closer to the style’s origins. The result is a range of classic Victorian-style brews revamped for the modern palate.

Milds are back, and they’re cooler than they sound

Just as porters have working-class roots, milds were once the drink of choice among British laborers. These young beers—typically clocking in below 3.5% ABV, with minimal hopping and gentle fruity sweetness from the malts—provided sustenance and refreshment for coal miners, builders, and other workers who were looking for a beer that was cheap and wouldn’t leave them wankered for the next shift. The rise of macro-brewed lager essentially decimated the demand for milds in Britain, but they’re making a comeback thanks to the renewed interest in traditional casks ales. The best versions are subtle masterpieces that demonstrate English brewing’s greatest triumph: delivering full flavor without relying on high alcohol or aggressive hopping.

Saisons in the UK are different than what you’re used to

Unlike American brewers, who are so enamored with Belgian brewing that “Belgo-American” (think Goose Island Matilda and Green Flash Le Freak) has essentially become a category of its own, English brewers don’t seem overly concerned with Continental styles. You won’t find many wheat beers or dubbels made by Brits, and there are certainly not many small-batch lagers. One exception seems to be the saison, a Belgian farmhouse style that was traditionally brewed in winter for consumption by field workers in the spring. The style has caught fire stateside, and we noticed a good amount of English entrants in the category at this summer’s Great British Beer Festival. Brewed for cask, these were less spicy and effervescent than examples we’re used to seeing from American and Belgian brewers. Instead, they tend to focus on the malt character of the beer, as well as mildly bitter and earthy hops.

Black IPAs have hopped the pond

The black IPA—essentially a mashup of a hoppy IPA and a darker ale, though it’s a bit more complicated than that—was the breakout beer of 2010, when it was officially recognized as a new style by the Brewers Association. Now, the hybrid seems to be popping in the UK, too. While some brewers fall victim to the urge to just add more hops to a porter, resulting in a clash of roasted malts and bitter hops, many of the examples we tried in England were more subtle and balanced. Look out for Kernel’s version around town in London, as well as Dalston Black IPA and Buxton’s Black Rocks.

Don’t disrespect the OGs

In the US, the old brands like Yuengling and Rolling Rock mostly make lagers, and nostalgia aside, there’s not much to get excited about. But in England, a country with some actual heritage to hang its hat on, you can still find centuries-old brands making standard-bearing beers. Even if you’ve had London Pride or Adnams Broadside at home, don’t miss the opportunity to drink fresh casks of the stuff. You can’t assess the new breed of bitters and pale ales without knowing the source material.

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